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| Monday, 16 February 2004 |
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Professor Buddhadasa Hewavitharana has been specially invited to participate in the seminar on "Operationalization of Gross National Happiness" to be held in Thimpu from 16-18 February. The GNH is the Bhutanese Government's development philosophy which is deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy and culture and enunciated by the King of Bhutan. It was placed before the nations of the World on two occasions. One was by the Head of the Government of Bhutan at the UN Millenium Summit held in September, 2002. The other was by the Foreign Minister of Bhutan at the regular session of the UNO General Assembly in 2002. The concept of GNH, as opposed to the concept of GNP, envisions people-centred holistic development which is an effective way to arrest growth of material poverty and the decline in spiritual levels, both of which have undermined human dignity and the value of human life. The purpose of this seminar is to work out means of operationalizing this concept. Professor Hewavitharana will be presenting a paper on, "A Framework of the Operationalization of the Buddhist Concept of GNH". When Professor Hewavitharana was organizing the International Buddhist Conference on "Buddhism in Theravada Countries: Issues and the Way Forward", held in January 2003, he selected the concept of GNH as one of the topics suitable for discussion at the conference. However, he failed to get a resource person from Bhutan to present it and he himself undertook the task by presenting a paper introducing the subject. It is in appreciation of his effort by him that the Centre for Bhutan Studies has extended a special invitation to him for this seminar which is expected to be attended by about 150 participants; many of them from other countries. Professor Hewavitharana is Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Peradeniya and a Founder Member of the Governing Board of the Institute of Policy Studies. He developed and delivered a course of lectures on the Buddhist Concept of Economic Well-being while he was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. He coordinated a two-day workshop on Social and Economic Development Through Buddhist Ethics, held at the BMICH in 2001. The volume containing the papers of the International Buddhist Conference which he edited has just come out in print. |
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